I heaved a great, soundless breath and cracked my eyes open, finding myself underneath the crystal overhang where Sonic and I had fallen asleep at. But Sonic had disappeared. Lifting my head, which laid on the ground, I caught sight of my hands and was curious as to how furry they were. I realized my form was that of a (color) (animal). When had I changed? And where was Sonic?

        Sitting up, I looked around at the shadowed crystal world. Never had I seen it so dark—I could only view a few meters on each side of me. It was a strange and unnatural darkness, which made me wonder if I was dreaming.

        "Why did you leave, (Name)?"

        Startled at the voice, I jumped to my feet and prepared to bolt from the black figure that appeared beside me. When his sickly green eyes rested on my own, I suddenly froze, dread creeping through my limbs like poisoned blood. The demon hedgehog tilted his head, allowing it to fall tiredly to one side.

        "Did I not treat you well? I fed you and you had free roam of our palace. Why have you taken advantage of my hospitality?" said Mephiles in a slow voice that sounded hurt.

        I swallowed thickly, my tail swishing back and forth in alarm. "It wasn't my decision," I was able to say, despite being in animal form where my words would usually come out as growls and whines. "I told Sonic not to go, but he wouldn't listen to me. He wanted to leave because he didn't feel safe. I only went with him because I didn't want to be left alone."

        "You would not have been alone," said Mephiles with his gaze boring into me. Silence fell between us.

        My glowing (eye color) eyes lowered to the ground as I shuddered underneath the demon's stare. I wanted to wake up. This was just a dream, Mephiles really wasn't here. However, he knew where Sonic and I had gone. If I woke up and forced myself and my friend to keep traveling through the crystal dimension, Mephiles surely would find us again—both in his mental and physical form.

        The demon watched me closely with intrigue, obviously listening in on the conversation with myself. "Let me show you something," he said, turning around and beginning to walk down from the hill into the pitch blackness. As I paused, he looked over his shoulder at me. "Come, child. There is no reason to hesitate. This is only a dream, after all."

        I followed him. Mephiles led me away from the overhang, where Sonic should have been, and down a dark and shadowed path. My long, unkempt claws tapped at the solid gemstone floor with each step. Tiny crystals threatened to pierce through the thick pads of my paws, but in this dream my sense of touch had diminished. Emotions coursed through me—sluggish, yet very present—just as how most dreams are. Still, I tried keeping them under control as I padded behind the striped hedgehog. Mephiles made no sound nor movement to signify his awareness of my efforts.

        It felt like forever as we walked down that darkened path, unable to see the world around us. Only when the shine of liquid appeared at my feet did I express surprise. My eyes widened as my field of view suddenly stretched across an entire lake filled with pinkish-purple water. The shapes of crystals could be seen atop this lake, a reflection of the sky dangling above our heads. Remembering how parched I had been before falling asleep, I lowered my furry snout and lapped at the lake. The water, as crisp and cool as the streams that run underground and through caves, satisfyingly quenched my thirst. Though I knew I was in a dream, I felt much better.

        Mephiles lingered by my side, his fingers stretching down toward the lake after I finished drinking. "Take a look in the water. What do you see?"

        Raising my head at him curiously, I waited for the water to settle before stepping closer to it. A sharp image of my (animal) face appeared among the reflected scenery of the crystal sky. Taking a good look at myself from multiple angles, I turned back to Mephiles. "I see myself," I said simply.

        "What else?" he replied, to which I cocked my head in confusion. I stepped to the side as the demon approached the water and stared into it. "I see the events of Earth playing out without interruption. I can focus on a place of my choosing and go wherever I'd like. Can you do the same? You must look past your physical reflection, my dear. What do you see inside it?"

        Again, I slunk to the lake's edge, putting a bit of distance between myself and Mephiles, and I looked down into the waters. My reflection showed up first. I squinted, glaring into my own eyes, and the image appeared to waver and warp. The reflection that had once been me morphed into a series of incomprehensible images that moved with life and the faint echoes of sound. Staring at one image long enough allowed me to view it closer, and I saw a forest beside a busy highway. A car zoomed by, its noise somehow amplified by its presence on the water. My body tensed at the strangeness of it all, but my eyes could not hold back such amazement.

        I returned to the world view, scanning the multitude of images that played out as Mephiles silently watched on. Spotted in those images was that of a small family enjoying dinner at the table. A pang of emotion hit my chest as I thought of my own parents. I wanted to see them. Uncertainly, almost frightened to do so, I pictured in my mind my parents, my house, my hometown of (Hometown). The water rippled, and colorful shapes began to form.

        A tall figure stood in a kitchen washing dishes over the sink. Beside that figure was another one, slightly shorter, drying the dishes with a towel and setting them on a rack. Everything looked the same as it did before I left home. The two figures in the image, Dad and Mom, conversed about their day at work. I pinned my (animal) ears against my head when my parents suddenly stopped talking and looked at each other with sadness in their eyes. They still missed me. They wondered where I had gone, if I remained safe in the company of the anthro strangers who took me on an unexpected journey. I was worried for them, and sad.

        "Would you like to visit your family?" said Mephiles in a low voice. "I can take you to them for a brief visit when you are awake."

        I shook my head with closed eyes, and the image in front of me dissipated. "It's best I never see them again," I told the dark entity. "I'd only be a disappointment." My family could not know that I had failed to protect the world from the evil Dr. Eggman who had threatened the lives of many. In attempting to stop him, I had only made things worse by releasing Mephiles into existence. Now, not only were human lives at stake, but so was the life force of the wildlife and the very earth itself.

        I also could not face Mom and Dad with the knowledge that (Cousin) had died because of my mistakes.

        A dull sensation touched my shoulder, and I looked up to find Mephiles' hand resting on it. "You don't disappoint me, (Name). You have so much potential that your parents do not know about. Already, you have done many great things. Just think of what else you might do."

        My tail wagged slightly as the male's words comforted me. He was right, I had done great things. If I were able to peer into the lives of my high school classmates, I knew I'd find that not one of them had committed the same level of dangerous adventuring as I had. They all lived plain, routine lives revolving around school and hanging out with friends. Here I was, at least trying to make a difference that would affect each and every one of those kids.

        Throughout my journey I had been shipwrecked on a foreign country, survived the wilderness and fought a bear on two different accounts, as well as an entire group of hateful were(animal)s. I had been dragged into the arctic landscape by a robot and somehow lived after Dr. Eggman's base fell through the ice. Then, I had made it on my own for weeks after my friends abandoned me.

        Who else could say they had done that?

        Although Mephiles had no face, I knew he was smiling. He clasped my shoulder in his large hand and pushed himself against me, almost as if in a one-sided hug. I allowed it, standing silent and still like a boulder. When my (eye color) eyes fell to our reflection in the lake, I was surprised to find that our forms began morphing together, as if attempting to create a single entity. That was the last thing I saw before waking up.

        I opened my eyes to the soft light of Mephiles' bejeweled dimension, a drowsy pink that enticed me to continue this pleasant slumber. However, when my sight focused I suddenly leaped to my feet in alarm. How is this possible? I asked myself as I gazed upon the colorful lake in front of me. Wasn't I dreaming? I had to have been. There is no sign of Mephiles anywhere. Gaze darting around, seeing that no one was present, I concluded that I had been sleepwalking.

        Sonic surely was missing me by now. I wondered how he hadn't noticed me leave, especially after we had huddled together to rest. Then I remembered the hedgehog boy was quite the deep sleeper. Snorting, I sniffed at the air with my (animal) muzzle to be certain of my solitude. Mephiles' scent didn't appear, so it must have been a dream where I sleepwalked. That didn't make me any less tense, though. There was no way my sleeping self could have managed to find water without help. The demon knew where Sonic and I were. But, instead of using that knowledge to his advantage to attack us or bring us to the palace, he led me to the lake when it was so desperately needed.

        In wakefulness, the lake shone brighter and clearer than it had in my dream. I could see far beyond it, to the crystal structures that towered over it like protective soldiers, unlike the shadowed darkness that had prevented my sight from expanding. I had to find my way back to Sonic. For some reason I didn't feel worried, as if I knew I'd be able to retrace my steps easily. Before turning from the lake, I took a quick drink from it. Liquid dripped down my chin when I pulled away. My internal compass told me to go one way, so I followed it.

        The path I traveled wasn't familiar in the slightest, but I had a feeling I went the right way. In my dream everything was dark; actually seeing the place gave me a whole other perspective. My thoughts kept turning in my head over and over, still confused as to how Dream-Mephiles had brought me to the lake. I tried to shake it off, to put it behind me, but the question remained. I shouldn't have been surprised, not after all the unusual and magical things he had shown me.

        A short distance from the lake, I found myself in familiar territory. Quickening my step, I climbed the hill to the overhang and found Sonic crouched in worry. "There you are," he said, jumping up to wrap his tiny arms around my neck. "I woke up to find you gone, and I thought Mephiles had taken you. But I waited, just to be sure you hadn't gone off on your own for a bit."

        "Sorry I worried you," I said, wiggling out of the hedgehog's hold. "I wasn't too far off. And guess what? I found water!"

        Sonic's jaw dropped. "No way."

        "Yes way," I nodded as best I could. Giving myself some room, I transformed back into a human girl and bent over to pick up the robes strewn across the ground. "Let's bring our stuff to the lake and make camp there. We should be able to survive a bit longer now that we have water."

        The boy nodded and followed suit, helping me to pick up last night's bedding and stuff it into my pillowcase of clothes. "Oh boy, I can't wait to get myself clean," said Sonic. "My armpits were sweating like waterfalls all night."

        I wrinkled my nose, detecting the sour smell now that he had pointed it out. "I'm almost glad I sleepwalked, then. I wouldn't want your pit-juice getting all over me. Although, I am pretty smelly myself." Once the last article of clothing was shoved inside the bag, I hefted it over my shoulder and waited for Sonic to follow with the food. But the hedgehog paused, looking up at me with a raised eyebrow.

        "Sleepwalked?" he questioned.

        My face started to pale. "Er, I mean, I was walking around while you slept. That's how I found the lake. It's just down that path there," I said while pointing across the crystalline forest. Telling Sonic that Mephiles had led me to the lake while I was dreaming would raise suspicion, and I didn't want him to have to worry about me. It was easier to say I had found it myself instead of the evil demon we were trying to escape.

        With his eyebrow still raised, Sonic picked up his heavy bag of food. "You're getting your words muddled there, (Name). Sounds to me like you should've slept a little longer. Any-who, lead on." He followed closely behind as I hurriedly took up the front of our small expedition.

        It took longer to reach the lake now that we were weighed down by bags. Sonic panted along the way, dehydrated after having gone without water for more than a day. The fruits we had eaten yesterday did little to quench our thirst. I fared better, however, as I had drunk to my heart's content before returning to get Sonic. As we rounded a corner and the pinkish-purple lake came into view, the hedgehog groaned in delight and dropped his bag, stumbling toward the shoreline. I carried both bags after him, watching with a closed-mouth smile as Sonic knelt to cup his hands and dip them into the lake to drink from.

        "It's cold, that's surprising," said Sonic as he splashed some water onto his face. "But not cold enough to where I can't take a bath. Cover your eyes, innocent child! I know how you feel about us anthros getting naked."

        I rolled my eyes and set our supplies under a pointy bush away from shore. "After Tails changed in front of me on the cruise ship, I think I've been desensitized to your bodies. Anyway, whenever I turn into a (animal) it's pretty much the same thing."

        "Yeah, well." The blue hedgehog shrugged and started pulling off his gloves. Even after what I said, I turned away to give him privacy when he moved onto his shoes and socks. Moments later I heard a loud splash, and a spray of water droplets flew toward me. "It's not as bad as I thought," said Sonic, and I looked to see him hovering in the shallow area of the lake.

        Thinking about my own body smell, but not wanting to take my clothes off in front of a boy, I shifted into a (animal) and gradually waded into the water. While I took my sweet time, Sonic swam over and started playfully splashing at me. I growled at him, lifting my lips to reveal sharp fangs. He narrowed his eyes and smirked, swimming even closer than before. With an annoyed huff, I submerged myself under water as I reached the deeper part of the lake, where Sonic would not follow. I popped my head above the surface and eyed him coyly.

        "Scared?" I taunted. The boy only stared back at me with an irked expression. An animalistic whine of laughter left my throat, and I paddled further into the center of the lake. My darkened (color) pelt was sleek and smooth, allowing for me to cut through the water quickly. I didn't go too far in case Sonic needed me or I grew tired. Slowing a bit, I enjoyed the tranquility the lake brought to me.

        I paddled for shore when Sonic decided he'd had enough of the water and climbed out with his torso already half dry. Touching solid ground, I hoisted my heavy, waterlogged body onto land and shook my pelt for a good minute, ridding myself of the extra weight. I trotted to where Sonic was behind the bushes picking out fresh socks to wear.

        "No gloves, huh?" he commented.

        Transforming into a human, I shook my head at him. "There were only socks and robes in your size."

        "Figures." Sonic pulled on a new pair of socks and inspected the dirty gloves he had discarded on the beach. "I can wash these off, I guess. No biggie. Here's some new clothes for you, by the way." A fluffy purple and black robe was tossed my way, followed by underwear, and I caught them in midair.

        "Thanks. I'm going to change on the other side of the bushes, so don't follow me," I said, getting a thumbs up from the hedgehog. Picking my way around him, and avoiding the prickly crystal thorns on the bushes, I found myself a secluded area and removed my old robe and undergarments, replacing them with fresh clothing. Returning to the spot where I last saw Sonic, I found that he had moved to lean against a tall, sparkling tree. In his hand was an apple, and he took a crunchy bite and nodded at me.

        "Now that we're nice and refreshed, I think it's time we think up a plan to get that Chaos Emerald back."

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Art made by me!